Watt

From Combat Robot

The watt is the derived unit of power, equal to one joule per second.

In electrical terms, 1 watt = 1 volt * 1 amp. That is, if 1 volt of potential difference is applied to a resistive load, and a current of 1 ampere flows, then 1 watt of power is dissipated.

One horsepower equals 746 watts. A human climbing a flight of stairs is doing work at the rate of about 200 watts; a highly trained athlete can work at up to approximately 2000 watts for brief periods.

The watt is named after James Watt for his contributions to the development of the steam engine.